But Not For Lust by BJ Bourg (comprehension books .txt) 📕

at physical therapy, but she didn’t have access to those bars at home, so she would have to make do with what she had—and that was an open floor.

Pulling herself to her right leg again, she repeated the process of transferring her weight to her left leg. She had to start and stop several times before she had the confidence to take a full step, but when she did, she was so excited she almost lost her balance and fell.

“Okay, gang, we’re doing this!” she said, speaking to her legs and the pieces of titanium buried beneath her flesh.

Amy was standing with her legs separated by half a step when her police radio scratched from the next room and Beth’s voice came on calling for Baylor. Amy wanted to rush to the room and grab it, but she was stuck in this position. To go back now would be to admit defeat, and to rush forward would be to ensure defeat. No, she had to stay put and patiently make her way to the crutches.

While she stood there, she cocked her head to the side and listened, trying to still her beating heart so she could hear Beth’s radio traffic. When Baylor answered, she heard Beth dispatch him to Ty Richardson’s house for a possible disturbance. She grunted, not surprised. Ty had been spiraling out of control lately and they all knew it would only be a matter of time before he would have to be committed again.

Amy took a deep breath and moved her left leg forward to prepare for another painful step. She stopped when the left leg was beside the right leg, and she rested there for a full minute. Finally, she moved it forward and began the arduous process of inching her body weight forward and taking the next step.

Rivulets of sweat poured down her face as she made her way across the room at a snail’s pace. It took almost thirty minutes to reach the crutches and she sighed heavily when she was able to snatch them up and lean into them.

She groaned loudly as she returned to the sofa and then she eased gratefully into it. As she had been moving across the room, she’d heard bits and pieces of radio traffic, but it seemed there wasn’t much happening out at Ty’s house. With luck, Baylor would be able to end the call soon and make it home for lunch.

Amy sat on the sofa for several minutes while her body recovered from the strain of what she’d just accomplished. When her heart had stopped pounding, she got up on her crutches and moved to the kitchen. Thankfully, her arm had healed up and she was able to use it to get around and fix her own food. She’d felt completely helpless when Baylor had been forced to cook for both of them and even serve her meals, but he never once complained. In fact, he’d promised to take his lunch hour at home as often as he could so he could serve her, but she was done being served. She was going to start taking charge of this place.

Gritting her teeth in determination, she began heating up the catfish coubion Baylor had cooked last night. She wanted him to come home to a warm meal for a change. Soon, she would start cooking the meals herself and begin stealing his heart. After all, she’d always heard that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and she could cook the hell out of—

“Headquarters,” Clint suddenly called over the radio, interrupting her thoughts. “We need an ambulance out at the Richardson residence ASAP!”

  CHAPTER 9

As Baylor dropped to his knees beside Mrs. Richardson, I snatched up his radio and keyed it up. “Headquarters,” I called, “we need an ambulance out at the Richardson residence ASAP!”

I quickly scanned the interior of the shed. To the right there was a workbench with an assortment of tools on the tabletop. A cordless drill, a paint sprayer, a measuring tape, and a strip of staples were just some of the things scattered about. On the wall behind the workbench, wrenches, screwdrivers, and other tools hung from various pegs and slots. None of it looked disturbed.

I glanced back down to where Baylor was kneeling over Mrs. Richardson. She hadn’t moved since the moment we entered the shed. When Baylor looked up, there was sadness in his eyes. He shook his head.

“She’s gone, Clint,” he said, leaning back on his haunches. “She’s not breathing, she’s got no pulse, and she’s cold to the touch.”

I sighed. “Can you check her fingers?”

He did so and nodded. “They’re stiff.”

I got on Baylor’s radio and asked Beth to cancel the medics. I then asked her to call the coroner’s office and have them put one of their investigators on standby.

My cell phone immediately began ringing. I answered without looking at the screen.

“Clint!” It was Amy. “What in the hell is going on out there? Who’s dead?”

“Carol Richardson,” I said quickly, knowing she would be worried about Baylor. “Baylor and I found Ty’s mom dead in the shed behind the house.”

Amy let out an audible sigh. “Oh, thank God! I mean, not that she’s dead, but—”

“I know what you meant, Aims,” I said quickly. “Baylor’s fine. I was just borrowing his radio while he checked on Mrs. Richardson.” After a brief pause, I told her to get better soon. “I could use your help out here. It’s getting crazy.”

“I’m healing up as fast as I can,” she said, the frustration evident in her voice. “Trust me—I’d be there now if I could.”

“I know you would.”

“Do you need anything?” she asked eagerly. “I’ve got my department laptop with me. I can research some names or—”

“You know what,” I said, interrupting her, “you can help me.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, can